Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

Research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Capital One Financial cut Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. Mizuho upped their price target on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.86.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

NYSE:MRO opened at $28.71 on Tuesday. Marathon Oil has a 1-year low of $21.81 and a 1-year high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.35 and a 200 day moving average of $25.84. The company has a market capitalization of $16.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 2.19.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 9.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,751,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,146,794,000 after purchasing an additional 6,835,604 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 19,388,560 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $468,428,000 after buying an additional 3,795,020 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,797,521 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $315,584,000 after buying an additional 2,176,062 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,186,365 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $197,801,000 after acquiring an additional 556,566 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 16.4% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,850,613 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $165,806,000 after acquiring an additional 825,813 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Marathon Oil

Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, engages in exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States and internationally. The company also produces and markets products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.